Sage what's up this is Shanelle aka "FLY", thanks for doing this interview. This interview has 12 questions please respond as soon as you have the time to.

"Wow...you call yourself FLY? Hmm. I think Shanelle is fly enough of a name. But you call yourself FLY. Really?"

1. Let us know who you are and where you come from.

"If I told you where I come from, you would hardly believe me. Mainly, I am transmitting live via an arm's length. I am motherfucking Sage Francis, mom. You know me. You know me. What's going on here?"

2. How did you get started?

"Oh my god. How did I get started? God damn. Does anyone have an interested response to a question like this? Well, FLY, I'll tell ya. After Just-ICE forgot to shout my name out on "Going Way Back" I tripped on Lawrence Parker for even guesting on the joint. Because HE knows I was there. HE knows. And then he was like, 'Dog...if you want people to know that you were there, then you need to make some noise on your own.' It made complete sense. So I fucking did it myself. I got started."

3. You do solo work and work with Joey Beats as part of the Non-Prophets. Can you describe tour style as a solo artist and as a group. Are they similar?

"Ahhhh....good question. This stuff has actually been lingering in my thoughts as of late, because we are wrapping up the Non-Prophets LP right now. My work with GROUPS is a compromise of sorts. My ideas and direction intermingles with other people's ideas and directions. It is a joint effort when you work with other people, and the over-all product is less reflective of yourself. My solo material tends to be more gloomy, introspective and/or self-loathing. The Non-Prophets stuff is more uptempo and/or mad at the world."

4. Who were or are your musical influences?

"I couldn't possibly list all of my early influences. Almost every single rapper between 76-90 had an influence on me somehow. Beyond that...even more rappers, but more selectively. In 96 I began listening to more punk rock and hardcore and most recently all I have been listening to is classic rock and folk."

5. What's your view on hip-hop today? Do you see an ongoing battle between members of the underground and members of the mainstream?

"I am very indifferent to the hiphop world today. I don't think much about it. If there IS an on-going battle, its one that exists everywhere in every culture. It is not particular to hiphop. Bling Bling vs Headwraps vs Backpackers? Gimme a break. All of them are a part of the mainstream."

6. You're starting your tour, where can we look for you? Where do you look forward to going the most?

"We are playing 33 shows in a little over a month, so you can see us in almost every major city. You can get the list of shows at www.non-prophets.com/forum in the show forum. I look most forward to playing Minneapolis, Colorado, New Orleans, LA, Chicago, and Providence."

7. Where was your favorite place to tour? Do you have a favorite story from touring?

Out of all my travels, Australia was probably the best place to tour. I would visit there more often if it didn't take 20 hours on a damn plane. The stories from touring are countless. I don't even know where to start. haha...I am running through memories in my head right now and realizing why I shouldn't be telling certain things. Uhhhhhhhhhh....ok, here's a tame one. Sole and I did our last show in Halifax, Nova Scotia and decided to DRIVE home directly after the performance. We were like, 'Damn...that was great show...we're wide awake! Let's just get this 10 hour drive over with NOW!' So we took off...(in fact, we almost took 2 cuties from Canada back home with us because they said they wanted to travel...it's a very good thing that we didn't.) A few hours into the trip, in a very desolate area of Canada, the sun was coming up and while we were enjoying the beautiful landscape we hear 'BANG!'...the fucking tire exploded for some reason. So the car hobbles to the side of the road...Sole and I look at each other in absolute confusion. Neither one of us knows how to change a tire. We don't even know where to begin. No phones. No houses. No cars. We walk. We walk walk walk walk. Sole was more stressed than is necessary...I am more jolly than it made sense to be...We came across weird cemetaries and old, abandoned churches. We were deliriously tired. We finally got to an area with houses...and we knocked on random doors. It was 6 or 7 AM at this point. Luckily, an old couple came to our rescue. We watched this elderly man change our tire for us. hahahaa. THEN...after the tire was fixed....we hit up a gas station and as I'm getting out of the car I hear some guy say, "Sage? Sole? Woah...oh my god." I look at this dude and he's in his 30's. He says, "I saw a show of yours in 97/98 when you were playing with a band."
We were Eastbumfuck Canada. This was a little too much for me and Sole to deal with, so we shook his hand and got the fuck out of there. We made it home alive.

8. Can you describe the state of the Rhode Island hip-hop scene in two sentences, and where do you expect it to go in the future?

"The Rhode Island hiphop scene is very representative of the state itself. It is diverse and sectioned. I don't expect many changes in the future. I would like to see more people bust their ass and get the recognition their talent deserves, but I know how people are. Most would rather dis each other and come up with a bunch of reasons why they aren't getting recognized instead of actually putting in the effort to stay on top of the game and actually get recognized."

9. Where's your favorite place to eat in Rhode Island?

"Meeting Street Cafe. Hands down. I wrote about it in the liner notes of Personal Journals. I am thinking about putting an album out called Meeting Street Cafe. It is such a classy spot with outstanding food. Quality food. I bring everybody there. This restaurant really needs to let me get special deals for all the advertising I do for them."

10. Your lyrics seem to be very conscience. Is there a particular social issue that you feel strongly about? How do you feel about that issue?

"I have no focus here. There are too many things on my mind. I hate religions and goverment. That's what I know for sure. People need to start taking the power back. The people...need to be rational and fair with each other. I don't walk around with one agenda on my mind all the time, but I do hate the way we are dicked around by a bullshit government with unfair laws. I feel strongly enough about these issues to live my life in a way that will put a considerable dent on the side of their iron ship."

11. What are your top five favorite albums?

"I don't have 5 top albums. I love aggressive music or mood music. Lyrics are very important to me, but my taste is strange. So far the golden era of hiphop and classic rock have appealed to me most."

12. What's the most memorable concert you've ever been to?

"The first concert I went to was the Run's House Tour with Run DMC, Public Enemy, EPMD, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince with a surprise appearance by LL Cool J. The other most memorable was watching Bob Dylan perform for two hours playing new arrangements of all his hits at the Newport Folk Festival last summer. I wanted to fucking cry."

Fri Jan 24, 2003 6:08 pm

naught

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 427

Pretty boring questions... that story about the tire is funny as hell, though.

Fri Jan 24, 2003 7:01 pm

EyeOne

Joined: 03 Nov 2002
Posts: 95
Location: Toronto, Ontario

One can only imagine how many interviews Sage spends answering the same questions.

Can't wait until his Toronto show.

Fri Jan 24, 2003 7:08 pm

cove541

Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 8
Location: Eugene Or.

damb sage you cant change a tire

Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:48 pm

excellrec

Joined: 11 Jul 2002
Posts: 1580
Location: Minneapolis

ya dude, seriously, you tour in a car or van or whatever, and none of you know how to change a tire? I suppose it did end up making for an interesting time though.

Sat Jan 25, 2003 8:48 am

KTA

Joined: 09 Sep 2002
Posts: 279

.

who can't change a tire?.. haha. .. . . you know most cars have a manual that tells you how.. . . HA.

Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:54 pm

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

The first time I learned to change a tire was on the bridge going into New Orleans. I changed the tire to our minivan while occasionally catching glimpses of gators and such.

I don't know if I could do it again. But yeah.. there was a manual and everything.

Poor Sage and Sole. The image of you bouncing around all happy and shit while Sole's about to have a breakdown is a funny one.

Sun Jan 26, 2003 12:06 am

Mr Ass

Joined: 17 Aug 2002
Posts: 252

Was the girl hot, Sage?

Sun Jan 26, 2003 5:28 am

Lintilla

Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Posts: 50
Location: California

Mr Ass wrote: Was the girl hot, Sage?

that sounds more like an email interview...

Sun Jan 26, 2003 1:37 pm

Moolah

Joined: 06 Sep 2002
Posts: 465
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: an interview with some girl named FLY on 1/24/03

Sage Francis wrote: We were Eastbumfuck Canada

Awesome name.

Mon Jan 27, 2003 5:23 am

Minimal Thoughts

Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 1
Location: chicago

Sage's Show at fireside chi

Yo i seen Sage's show at Fireside in Chicago.
Damn... that is all one can really say.. he rips mikes.. words that are just re-dick.. it almost brings a tear to my eye to hear the phenomenal lyrics

thats all for right now

Minimal Thoughts

Tue Jan 28, 2003 7:50 pm

YestUrdaysMistake

Joined: 03 Jan 2003
Posts: 13
Location: santa fe, nm

tires

haha, that's why bikes win. it takes about 40 seconds to change a flat on a bike, and all the tools, including the new tube, fit easily into a cargo pocket......though i suppose going from nova scotia to rhode island would be a very very long bike trip.......

i think changing tires and other necessary skills should be part of the drivers ed corriculum.